Department of Dental Hygiene

Return to: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC  

The mission of the USC Department of Dental Hygiene is to educate and prepare dental hygiene leaders for careers in a diverse and changing health care environment. Implicit in this is a desire to provide a liberal education as well as outstanding clinical experiences. The baccalaureate dental hygiene program is a combination of dental and dental hygiene sciences, supporting sciences and general education.

The curriculum reflects the core values of the profession in private and public health settings. The program is committed to creating a humanistic, educational environment that will facilitate the development of responsible, ethical, oral health professionals who are sensitive to the patient needs and competent in the dental hygiene process of care.

Educational and clinical services provided by dental hygiene students include dental health education, patient assessment, disease prevention and non-surgical periodontal therapy for a diverse population of patients. The program strives to produce graduates who will advance the profession of dental hygiene and improve dental health care through evidence-based research and scholarly activities. Finally, graduates are competent in self-assessment and scientific methodology in preparation for lifelong learning.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene requires two academic years of pre-dental hygiene courses followed by two additional years of enrollment in the dental hygiene program.

Admission

Two applications are required, one for the USC Undergraduate Admission Office and one for the School of Dentistry. See the Undergraduate Education Admission  section of this catalogue.

Admission to the dental hygiene program of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC is granted through the Office of Dental Admissions and Student Affairs that receives and processes all applications, evaluates credentials and mails letters of acceptance to applicants who qualify for entrance. Because of the university’s selective admissions policy and limited enrollment, only those applicants are accepted who present evidence of intellectual promise and strong personal qualifications, including good moral character and sound health. Prior to enrollment, accepted students must provide evidence of sound health and meet the school’s health requirements. (Before registration, the Student Health Service form, signed by the applicant’s attending physician, must be filed with the Engemann Student Health Center.)

Application Procedure:

The ADEA Dental Hygiene Centralized Application Service (DHCAS) is the centralized application service for applicants to dental hygiene programs. Please review the instructions for the application at adeadhcas.org. All applicants must select the “Entry Level Bachelor’s” as a designation.

In order to begin the ADEA DHCAS application, every applicants will need an email address and a DentPin. The DentPin is a personal identification number used in place of the social security number. To receive a DentPin visit the American Dental Association website at ada.org/dentpin.

At the same time, applicants must apply and gain admission to the University of Southern California, which is granted in all cases by the USC Office of Admission. Applicants must submit a USC Transfer Application online through the Common Application at commonapp.org. Only a letter from the university Office of Admission grants official university admission.

Applications for the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene should be filed well in advance of February 1 of the year in which the student wishes to be admitted. The program begins in the fall.

Although students may transfer to USC at any time and begin prerequisite course work, the dental hygiene curriculum begins in the junior year. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the dental hygiene program.

Admission Requirements

Between 30 and 40 students are admitted each year for the curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.

The Committee on Admissions examines credentials and bases its decision on the objective evaluation of these factors: preprofessional training, evidence of scholarship and personal evaluation of the student.

Minimum entrance requirements include: graduation from an accredited secondary school and completion of the following courses which may be transferred in from another college or university or taken at USC prior to bring admitted to the dental hygiene program.

General Biology

One semester with lab is required.

Anatomy

One semester with lab is required.

General Chemistry with Lab

One year is required.

English Composition

One year is required. Must include course work equivalent to WRIT 150  and one semester of any transferable English course.

General Physiology Lab

One semester is required.

General Microbiology

One semester is required.

Nutrition

One semester is required.

Introduction to Sociology

One semester is required.

General Psychology

One semester is required.

Public Speaking

One semester is required.

General Education Requirements

The university’s general education program provides a coherent, integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated person. This program is effective for all students entering USC in fall 2015 or later, or transfer students beginning college elsewhere at that time and subsequently transferring to USC. It requires eight courses in six Core Literacies, plus two courses in Global Perspectives (which may double-count with courses in the Core Literacies) and two courses in writing. For more information about USC’s general education requirements, see General Education .

All dental hygiene students must follow the university’s general education requirements.

There is no minimum number of transfer units you must complete before applying to admissions. No foreign course work will be accepted. Dental hygiene prerequisites must be completed prior to the beginning of classes in the dental hygiene program and lower-division general education categories must be completed by the time of graduation. All prerequisite course work including required general education course work must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.

The following courses are not transferable: dental assisting, dental technology, secretarial science (typing, shorthand, etc.), or other technically or vocationally related courses.

All entrance requirements must be completed by June 15 preceding the September of admission, and complete final credentials must be on file in the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and the USC Office of Admission by July 15 preceding enrollment. Notification of conditional acceptance will be sent by the Ostrow Office of Admission and Student Affairs after May 1.

Orientation

Students who have been accepted into the program and who have reserved their place in the class by paying the appropriate tuition deposit will be forwarded orientation materials by July 15.

Orientation is traditionally scheduled during the week before the first week of classes. The purpose of the program is to acquaint incoming students with the School of Dentistry, its policies, programs, faculty and facilities. Incoming students receive financial counseling and purchase their initial equipment issue as part of orientation activities.

Graduation Requirements

A student is eligible for the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene after attaining the qualitative and quantitative level expected in the dental hygiene curriculum. This specifically includes: no marks of “F,” “IN,” “IP” or “MG”; no conditions existing at the termination of the final trimester that would result in academic probation, clinical probation or academic disqualification. In addition, each student must have demonstrated the characteristics expected of a health professional and have fulfilled the financial and other obligations required for graduation.

In addition to meeting the academic requirements indicated above, students must have a completed administrative clearance form on file in the Office of Academic Affairs before a degree can be conferred. This administrative clearance indicates that the student has met other obligations to the university and to the student’s patients.

Progressive Degree Programs

The following progressive degrees are available for students enrolled in the Dental Hygiene program: MPH at the Keck School of Medicine, MA in Gerontology from the Davis School of Gerontology, and a MSDH from the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry. Applicants to the program must have completed 64 units of course work and must submit their applications prior to completion of 96 units of course work. Applicants do not have to submit GRE scores, but are expected to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the time of application. The application for admission to a progressive degree program must be accompanied by an approved course plan proposal and letters of recommendation from two USC faculty members. The requirements for both the bachelor’s degree and the progressive degrees must be satisfied. For further details on progressive degree programs, see the Requirements for Graduation  page.

Programs

Bachelor’s Degree

• •  Dental Hygiene (BS)